ESTHER SOLORZANO VS. MAVENFORM, INC. DBA PATHRISE ET AL

Set for Law and Motion/Discovery Calendar on Friday, August 8, 2025, Line 5. DEFENDANTs MAVENFORM, INC. DBA PATHRISE, LEIF TECHNOLOGIES, INC,and LEIF SERVICING, LLC.'s MOTION FOR WITHDRAWAL OF ATTORNEY OF RECORD.

Before the court is an unopposed Motion to be Relieved as Counsel from Counsel Mitchell Turbenson, Thomas F. Burke and Ballard Spahr, LLP, counsel of record for Defendants Mavenform, Inc., Leif Technologies, Inc. and Leif Servicing, LLC. The motion is DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.

Counsel, who have represented Defendants in this proceeding for nearly a year and a half, state that Defendants consent to their withdrawal, but this motion is necessary "because [Defendants] are attempting to obtain substitute counsel." Counsel have not shown that a voluntary withdrawal or notice of change of counsel cannot be filed in a reasonable amount of time. (See Code of Civil Procedure section 284(1).)

Defendants are corporations who cannot represent themselves. If counsel withdraws without Defendants having new counsel in place, then Defendants will be unable to take any action in this proceeding, a situation the court has an interest in avoiding. Further, counsel's conclusory statement that Defendants "are not in compliance with the terms of representation" is insufficient. More can be said consistent with counsel's ethical obligations; and more must be said to justify court intervention under Code of Civil Procedure section 284(2).

Moving Counsel must prepare a proposed order which repeats verbatim the above tentative ruling and email it to contestdept302tr@sftc.org prior to the time set for this hearing.

For the 9:00 a.m. calendar, all attorneys and parties may appear in Department 302 remotely or in person. Remote hearings will be conducted by videoconference using Zoom. (Dept. 302 Zoom ID 160 409 7690; Passcode 516287.) To appear remotely at the hearing, go to the court's website at sfsuperiorcourt.org under "Online Services," navigate to "Tentative Rulings," and click on the appropriate link, or dial the corresponding phone number.

Any party who contests a tentative ruling must send an email to contestdept302tr@sftc.org with a copy to all other parties by 4pm stating, without argument, the portion(s) of the tentative ruling that the party contests. The subject line of the email shall include the line number, case name and case number. The text of the email shall include the name and contact information, including email address, of the attorney or party who will appear at the hearing.

Counsel for the prevailing party is required to prepare a proposed order which repeats verbatim the substantive portion of the tentative ruling and must email it to contestdept302tr@sftc.org prior to the hearing even if the tentative ruling is not contested.

The court no longer provides a court reporter in the Law & Motion Department. Parties may retain their own reporter, who may appear in the courtroom or remotely. A retained reporter must be a California certified court reporter (CSR), for only a CSR's transcript may be used in California courts. If a CSR is being retained, include in your email all of the following: their name, CSR and telephone numbers, and their individual work email address. =(302/JMQ) | |